January 23, 2014

Nix Comics' publisher Ken Eppstein officially broke the news on several open secrets yesterday, discussing his plans for the imprint in 2014 in a post to the Nix Comics site.

Though listed last, the biggest news is the plan for Nix Comics Monthly, a free tabloid for the Columbus, Ohio area, which Eppstein hopes to have launched in time for SPACE this year. Eppstein is reaching out to local businesses to sponsor the newspaper-style anthology, a mock-up of which you can see to the left.

With the success of Magic Bullet, I've noticed an increase in similar efforts, but none of the ones I've encountered have been monthly. This is very ambitious on Eppstein's part, to start with a high frequency, but if he's able to line up the funding, a solid, regular feature that can be placed in the hands on non-comics readers would be a good way to expand the name of Nix Comics, as well as the artists featured in it.

Further details await getting this off the ground, but I know Eppstein is a big fan of paying anyone he works with, so this could turn into a project that's not just about exposure, even if it's modest to start.

In other news from the post, Eppstein re-affirmed the "main" Nix release, namely Nix Comics Quarterly 7 and 8, Nix Western Comics 3, and Nix for Kids 3 over the course of 2014. Nix for Kids leads off, with a scheduled release of April, which would also time it roughly with SPACE.

Continuing his limited book-length, record-themed publishing efforts, Eppstein also plans two new comics projects that will be funded via Kickstarter. The first is a memoir involving kids, a record store, and the Ramones and the second is a reprint of an out of print, Rock n Roll-themed anthology.

Finally, on March 8th, Nix Comics will co-sponsor the Indie Comics Fair at the Ace of Cups in Columbus, Ohio. The event, which also has ties to SPACE, is in its third year.

I'm always impressed by the thinking and planning that Ken does as part of Nix Comics, and this year is looking to be no exception. Using various funding routes and outreach, Eppstein's goals look very doable and will bring a lot of interesting work to indie comics fans in 2014.